NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

This study was supported by the National Institutes of Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under cooperative agreement No. 5 R01 RR06161-03. Additional support was provided by Ziegler Brothers, Inc., and Harlan Sprague-Dawley Co.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Robert M. White is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. Robert M. White are chairman and vice-chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

Preface

The first edition of Nutrient Requirements of Laboratory Animals was published in 1962. It summarized the nutrient requirements of the rat, mouse, guinea pig, hamster, monkey, and cat based on an evaluation of the literature. The second revised edition was published in 1972 and updated the information presented in the first edition. The third revised edition was published in 1978 and was expanded to include a chapter on general aspects of nutrition, and the species chapters incorporated information on expected growth and reproductive performance in addition to the nutrient requirements of the laboratory rat, mouse, guinea pig, hamster, gerbil, vole, and the nutrient requirements of fishes.

In this, the fourth revised edition, the subcommittee reviewed the literature and summarized the nutrient requirements of the rat, mouse, guinea pig, hamster, gerbil, and vole. The subcommittee structure was altered for this publication as members were assigned by nutrient across species rather than by nutrient within a species. This structure provided the subcommittee with nutrient expertise that could be applied to more than one species. To maintain a species expertise, one member of the subcommittee was designated as the species chair and integrated the information into the chapter. The species chair also developed a section on expected growth and reproduction of the various breeds within a species and reviewed the literature to assemble natural-ingredient and purified diets that should meet the needs of animals of the species used in long-term studies.

After its review of the literature, the subcommittee emphasized the need for experiments designed to determine nutrient requirements of laboratory animals. Work of that nature is of considerable value in compiling the information contained in a publication such as this. Thus, not all the requirements reported in this publication were derived from experiments specifically designed to estimate the requirement of a nutrient, and interpretation of published work was required to derive an estimate. Where appropriate, the subcommittee used information available for one species to estimate the requirements for another species. The text devoted to each nutrient includes a description of decisions made to obtain the requirement shown in the table.

The subcommittee thanks Mary Poos, Dennis Blackwell, and Janet Overton for their assistance during the development and preparation of this document.

In the years since the third edition of this indispensable reference was published, a great deal has been learned about the nutritional requirements of common laboratory species: rat, mouse, guinea pig, hamster, gerbil, and vole.

The Fourth Revised Edition presents the current expert understanding of the lipid, carbohydrate, protein, mineral, vitamin, and other nutritional needs of these animals. The extensive use of tables provides easy access to a wealth of comprehensive data and resource information. The volume also provides an expanded background discussion of general dietary considerations.

In addition to a more user-friendly organization, new features in this edition include:

A significantly expanded section on dietary requirements for rats, reporting substantial new findings.

A new section on nutrients that are not required but that may produce beneficial results.

New information on growth and reproductive performance among the most commonly used strains of rats and mice and on several hamster species.

An expanded discussion of diet formulation and preparation--including sample diets of both purified and natural ingredients.

New information on mineral deficiency and toxicity, including warning signs.

This authoritative resource will be important to researchers, laboratory technicians, and manufacturers of laboratory animal feed.

Welcome to OpenBook!

You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.